


New York Domestic Relations, Article 3, § 10

by machtaholic (cinderella81)



Category: Suits (TV)
Genre: Bottom!Harvey, M/M, Marriage, Marriage Proposal, Schmoop, bottom!Mike
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-08-19
Updated: 2012-08-19
Packaged: 2017-11-12 11:43:39
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,823
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/490525
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/cinderella81/pseuds/machtaholic
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A sequel to 'Rule 520.4', A Proposal/Wedding Fic that takes place maybe a year and a half after 'Rule 520.4'</p><p>'New York Domestic Relations, Article 3, § 10.  Marriage a civil contract.  Marriage, so far as its validity in law is concerned, continues to be a civil contract, to which the consent of parties capable in law of making a contract is essential.'</p><p>Thanks to dietpunkfics (aka Megipedia) for being an all around cheerleader and peculiaritea for that last read through!</p>
            </blockquote>





	New York Domestic Relations, Article 3, § 10

“We’re going on vacation.”

Mike Ross glanced up from the brief he was working on and saw his lover standing in the doorway of his office.

“I’m sorry, repeat that?”

“I said, we’re going on vacation,” Harvey repeated as he continued to lean against the doorway.  He looked entirely too sexy in his grey wool suit and bright blue tie that he would grudgingly admit to buying because it was the exact color of Mike’s eyes. 

Mike glanced at the stack of briefs on his desk warily.  Being on the junior partner track meant he had at least twice the work of the regular associates and, even with help, he still had a ton of late nights.

“As awesome as that sounds,” Mike started.  “There’s the Holt merger and the Allwine pro bono case from Jessica, not to mention the Carter briefs Louis keeps trying to give me.”

“Mike,” Harvey interrupted.  “It’s all been handled.  We’re taking this Thursday and Friday off.  Harold can handle the pro bono case, give the Carter briefs to Kyle and the Holt merger isn’t for two weeks.  That’s plenty of time to handle it.”  He stepped into the small office and closed the door behind him, giving his lover a fond smile.

Mike sighed, ran a hand through his hair and stood, crossing the office.  “I don’t know if I ever thanked you for getting me a private office,” he murmured, leaning up for a quick kiss.

Harvey chuckled and pressed his lips to Mike’s in a chaste kiss.  “I knew you wouldn’t want to share an office with anyone,” he said.  “And what’s the point of being a Senior Partner if you can’t pull a few strings for your partner, who will soon move onto bigger and better things, and leave this tiny office behind?”

Mike snorted and gave Harvey’s tie a little tug.  “Lotta words, Harvey,” he said.  “But I think I heard a compliment in there somewhere.”

Harvey smiled and ran a thumb across Mike’s cheek.  “I already cleared our vacation with Jessica,” he said.  “We’re only going to be a couple of hours away, and we’ll take our phones with us just in case.”

“Sounds like you have everything taken care of,” Mike said.

“I do,” Harvey replied, straightening Mike’s tie and stepping back.  “We just need to pack, head out, and relax.”  He pushed the office door open and gave Mike a smile.  “Make sure you get everyone up to speed with their cases before we go.”  He shot Mike a wink before heading back to his own office.

***

Mike tapped his pen impatiently on his desk as he read carefully through all his emails.  It was almost 6:00 p.m. on Wednesday, he and Harvey were packed and ready to go; they were leaving straight from work to parts unknown as Harvey was being a bit secretive with the vacation plans.

“Mike, I’m going to need you to stay and work on these briefs.”  Louis wandered in and dropped a stack of files on Mike’s desk.

Mike picked the files back up and passed them back to Louis.  “No can do,” he said.  “Harvey and I are leaving soon, which I know you knew about seeing as I sent you an email.”

“So you can’t stay?” Louis asked.  “It’s just a few hours.”

“No Louis, I can’t,” Mike replied.  “Have you ever been on vacation?  You count down the days, hours, and minutes until it is time for you to leave.  I spent all day today cleaning off my desk and making sure that there would be no reason for anyone to call me this weekend.  So no, Louis, I am not staying and I am not working up those files.”

“Louis, leave him alone,” Harvey said from the doorway.  “Give those to Kyle or Harold or any of the other associates who live under your thumb, but Mike’s done for the day and we’re leaving.”

Louis gave a little huff and left Mike’s office, the stack of files clutched to his chest.

“Figured he’d try something at the end of the day,” Mike said.  “Try to pawn a case or files off on me to harsh my mellow of our vacation.”

“So did I, which is why I shut down and came down here,” Harvey said.  “Ready to go?”

“I’ve been ready since we put our bags in the rental car this morning before coming to work,” Mike admitted as he shut down and grabbed his messenger bag.

Harvey laughed and slipped his hand into Mike’s.  “Then let’s go,” he said.

The drive out of Manhattan took a little over two hours and it was dark when they finally reached their destination.

“You planned this, didn’t you?” Mike muttered as they carried their bags into the small cottage.  “Get me here when it’s dark so I can’t see where we’re vacationing?”

“You were navigating,” Harvey said as he turned on a couple of lights and headed towards the bedroom.  “So you knew where we were going.”

Mike took a moment and looked around the cottage as they headed to the bedroom.  “It’s quaint,” he said as they stepped into the bedroom.  “I like it.”

“I knew you would,” Harvey said confidently.  “Let’s crash early, and we can explore tomorrow.”

Mike nodded and stripped out of his suit, tossing it in the corner before turning down the bed and crawling under the soft sheets.

Harvey chuckled and set his suit by Mike’s before joining his lover in bed, smiling when Mike burrowed in close.  He carded his fingers through Mike’s hair, listening to his partner’s deep breathing until he too, succumbed to sleep.

***

Mike squinted against the early morning light that filtered through the window.  It took him a few minutes to remember where he was.  He hummed softly and rolled over, seeking Harvey’s warmth, but only finding a cold spot.  He frowned and reached for his phone and squinted at the display - 6:30 a.m.

“Early riser,” he muttered as he climbed out of bed and tugged a pair of shorts and a t-shirt and went off in search of Harvey.  He took some time to explore the little cottage a bit as he searched for his lover.  It was small, with a little kitchen and a comfortable living room.  He reached the backyard and leaned against the French doors, watching his lover with avid interest.

Harvey was on the back porch on a bright blue yoga mat.  He was wearing a pair of dark gray shorts and a black v-neck shirt, clothes that looked cheap but were probably from some upscale yoga company and had cost Harvey more than $100.  Mike smiled as Harvey slid into one of Mike’s favorite poses, funnily enough called Extended Puppy Pose, which had Harvey on his knees, his ass high in the air.

Mike gave a low whistle, winking when Harvey turned his head to look.  “My favorite pose ever,” he said.

Harvey lingered longer than necessary in the pose before he gave a little chuckle and stood gracefully, padding over to Mike and pulling him in for a sweet kiss.  “Good morning,” he murmured.

“It’s called a vacation, Harvey,” Mike mumbled, wrapping his arms around his partner.  “We’re supposed to sleep in.”

Harvey laughed.  “Hard habits to break,” he said fondly.  “And you know I hate to miss a day.”

Mike grunted and slipped his hands under Harvey’s shirt.  “I know, stickler for routine,” he said, running his fingers along the waistband of Harvey’s shorts.  “Breakfast?”

“The kitchen is stocked,” Harvey replied, kissing Mike’s hair.  “All of your favorites.”

“Chocolate chip pancakes, then?” Mike said, snapping Harvey’s shorts playfully before heading into the kitchen to make breakfast.

“You know me so well,” Harvey called after his lover with a grin.

***

Harvey had planned almost every detail of their vacation.  They drove up to Martha’s Vineyard for the day to do wine tasting, went shopping and bought kitschy gifts for Ray, Donna, Rachel, Jenny and Mike’s grandmother, and spent evenings sitting on the back porch wrapped in blankets.  They reveled in the concept of spending time alone together.  Sure, they had evenings together in the penthouse, but it was different at the cottage; there was an intimacy that Mike admitted to himself that he’d missed.

And Mike took great pleasure in snapping as many pictures as possible of Harvey in casual clothes, shorts to be exact.  No amount of glares from Harvey could deter him, and he already had plans for what pictures he’d display in his office.

On Saturday, the two men were treated to massages on the beach, after which they got dressed up and headed into town.  Harvey treated them to an early dinner, after which they headed to the Full Moon Arts Center for a special concert by the Alex Sipigian Jazz Quintet.  Mike settled against Harvey throughout the concert, although he couldn’t help but giggle when the quintet played a song called ‘One for Mike’.

“I asked them the play that especially for you,” Harvey whispered in Mike’s ear.

“Of course you did,” Mike whispered back with a loving smile.

“Come on, let’s get out of here,” Harvey said once the concert was over.  He tugged Mike out of his seat and out of the concert hall.  Mike laughed and easily kept up with his lover as they reached the car and sped back to the cottage.

They left a pile of clothes on the way out to the back porch, bypassing the beach chairs for the large beach towel that was spread out on the sand by the fire pit.  There was a fire blazing and a discreet little black bag sitting near the towel.

“Had this planned, huh?” Mike said as he spread himself out on the towel, enjoying the feel of the Egyptian cotton on his skin.

“Just a little,” Harvey replied, peppering Mike’s chest and stomach with kisses.  

“I could tell,” Mike whispered, spreading his legs invitingly.  “Please, Harvey?”

Harvey chuckled and reached into the little bag, pulling out the bottle of lube and coating his fingers.  He thrust first one, two, then finally three fingers into Mike, stretching him carefully. 

Mike whimpered and begged, hands gripping Harvey’s hips and pulling him close.  “Fuck, Harvey,” he moaned.  “Cut it with the foreplay already and fuck me.”

Harvey chuckled and took a moment to lube himself up before removing his fingers and slamming into Mike in one hard thrust.  

Mike keened and arched into Harvey, wrapping a hand around his cock, stroking it roughly.  There were times for rough and needy and soft and gentle; it was a night for rough and needy.

Neither of them lasted very long; Harvey collapsed gently on top of Mike, resting his head on Mike’s chest, smiling when he felt Mike’s fingers in his hair.

“Hey Mike?” Harvey murmured softly, pressing a soft kiss to Mike’s collarbone.

“Hmm?” Mike hummed, lazily running his hand through Harvey’s hair, enjoying the way the strands tickled his palm.

“Marry me?”  Harvey lifted his head and looked at Mike.

Mike blinked a few times and looked down at Harvey, letting his partner‘s words sink in.  “Marry … oh my god, Harvey!”  His head dropped back to the towel and he started to chuckle.  “Moonlit night, big fire in the fire pit, sex … romance novel cliché anyone?”  He pulled Harvey up for a gentle, loving kiss.  “Yes, Harvey, I’ll marry you.”

Harvey chuckled and gave Mike’s hip a playful swat as he reached back over to the bag and pulled out a dark blue velvet box.  He opened the box and showed Mike the simple platinum band with a recessed ring at each end.  He took Mike’s left hand in his and gently placed the ring on Mike’s ring finger, smiling when it slid smoothly over the last knuckle.  

“I love you, Mike Ross,” Harvey whispered, pressing a kiss to Mike’s hand.

“Love you, Harvey,” Mike said, lifting his hand a bit to admire the ring.  It was simple and elegant; it was perfect.

***

Mike spent the drive home Sunday afternoon staring at the ring.  They’d spent the morning having celebratory sex over every surface in the cottage and the porch.  Then they’d reluctantly packed up, made sure they had everyone’s gifts in the trunk of the rental and drove back to Manhattan.

“Donna helped you pick this out, didn’t she?” Mike finally asked as they reached Manhattan.

“No she didn’t,” Harvey said as he navigated them towards the penthouse.  

“Uh-huh,” Mike said as he twisted the ring around his finger, smiling at his fiancé.  “Why don’t I believe you?”

Harvey glanced over at Mike as he pulled up in front of the penthouse.  “I picked it all on my own,” he said.

“With Donna’s help,” Mike countered as they grabbed their bags and headed inside.

Harvey just rolled his eyes and followed Mike into the penthouse where they dropped their bags just inside the door and headed for bed; unpacking could wait.

***

Mike whistled to himself as he got ready for work Monday morning.  Harvey had to go to Court, so Mike was left to go in alone.  He straightened his tie in the mirror hanging in the foyer of the penthouse, smiling wide when the light caught the ring on his left hand.  He and Harvey’d had a long talk about it on the drive home the night before; they’d never hid what they were to each other before, so they wouldn’t start just because they’d gotten engaged.

Mike hurried down to the car and gave Ray a wave as he slipped into the backseat; Ray had already taken Harvey to court.

Once at the office, he stopped off at Donna’s desk, depositing a coffee next to her keyboard.  Before he could wander away, he found his left hand in the clutches of Donna’s, holding him fast.

“Oh good, he picked this one,” Donna said, admiring the ring with a smile.  “I knew he’d pick the right one.”

“I knew it,” Mike replied.  “You helped him!”

“Of course I did,” Donna said.  “Harvey would have picked some ostentatious thing with diamonds and I knew better.  I saw all the choices Harvey had printed laying out on his desk.  I just went to the website and printed a few more … simpler designs and added them to the stack.”

Mike moved around the desk and gave Donna a hug.  “I would have been happy with anything, really,” he said.  “But thank you.”

“You are very welcome,” Donna replied. “Now, have you set a date?  What about a wedding planner?  I know a great wedding planner that would do a great -”

“Donna, I’ve been engaged less than two days,” Mike said.  “Let me be a fiancé for a while before I start thinking about the actual wedding.”

Donna rolled her eyes but nodded.  “Fine, but come find me when you want to start planning,” she said.

“Will do,” Mike said.  “Now, I’d better get to work … I need to check on Harold and the pro bono case and get back to work on the Holt merger.”

“Have fun,” Donna said, giving Mike a wave.

***

By the time Harvey returned from his court appearance, the whole office was aware of his and Mike’s engagement.  All eyes were on him as he made his way to his office.

“Don’t they have something else to talk about?” Harvey muttered as he reached Donna’s desk.

“Please, Harvey Specter engaged?” Donna said.  “It’s all anyone can talk about around here - expect lots of visitors and emails.”

Harvey rolled his eyes, but collected his messages from Donna and headed into his office.  He turned on his computer and went to work, hoping for a quiet day; and of course ended up with a day that was anything but.  Word had spread all over the firm, obviously, so Harvey was inundated with phone calls and visitors.

Jessica stopped by at the end of the day.  “Sick of the word ‘congratulations’ yet?” she asked with a smile.

“Almost,” Harvey replied with a smile.  “I barely had a chance to see my other half today, phone calls and visitors keeping me up here, distracted.”

“Well then, you’d better go and collect him and head home.”  Jessica smiled and tapped a fingernail on Harvey’s desk.  “He’s good for you, Harvey.”

“I know.”  Harvey smiled and shut down his computer and gathered his things.  “Best thing that ever happened to me.”

“Damn right I am.”  Jessica and Harvey both looked over to the doorway where Mike was waiting, messenger bag across his chest.  “Ready to go?”

Harvey nodded and grabbed his briefcase, crossing the room to take Mike’s left hand with his right.  “Jessica, have a wonderful evening,” Harvey said, smiling at his boss.

“See you both tomorrow,” Jessica said.  “I’m sure the fervor will die down in a few days.”

“At least until we actually start planning the wedding,” Mike called over his shoulder as he and Harvey headed home.

***

Six months into their engagement Harvey was already sick of wedding planning.  He’d tried to convince Mike to hire a wedding planner, but Mike had some silly notion of wanting the two of them to plan the wedding together.  Their living room was filled with samples and brochures and Harvey was on the verge of just taking Mike to Las Vegas and eloping.

Mike had even roped Donna into helping them and most lunch hours found Mike and Donna camped out in his or Harvey’s office pouring over samples and color swatches, trying to decide what to have for dinner, etc.  It had turned into a production, made bigger by the fact that, as soon as news of Harvey and Mike’s engagement had reached the front page of the society section, every person who’d even said hello to Mike and Harvey were clamoring for an invite.

It was lunchtime on a Wednesday and when Harvey exited his office to let Donna know he was going out for lunch, he wasn’t too surprised when she wasn’t at her desk.

He sighed and headed down to Mike’s office, knowing he’d find his fiancé and his assistant there working on the wedding.  He reached Mike’s office and found his view of his fiancé and his assistant obscured by a huge floral arrangement.

“No,” he said, biting back a snort of laughter when Mike and Donna both stood to look at him over the top of the flowers.  

“We didn’t think so either,” Donna said.  “They’re too gaudy.”

“Something simpler would be better,” Mike agreed.  “Harvey, come look at these samples from Poppies and Posies.”

“Tell me you’re kidding,” Harvey said, although he did move around the desk to look at the designs Mike was looking at.  “Okay, much better than this monstrosity.”

“We thought so, too,” Donna said.  “They can actually do the whole wedding if we want - centerpieces, table settings, menus, even the favors.  Poppies and Posies is known for their unique style;. it wouldn’t be the grand affair everyone would expect.”

“You know how I like to surprise people,” Harvey said with a smile.  He leaned over and pressed a kiss to Mike’s temple.  “You and I have similar tastes, I trust your choices.”

“Are you sure?” Mike asked.  “What about the venue?  The wardrobe?”

“Rene will handle our wardrobe,” Harvey said. “That is non-negotiable.”

“You know, we still need to actually pick a date,” Mike reminded Harvey with a smile.  “We can’t reserve anything until we know when this shindig is going down.”

“Fall is always nice, early October,” Donna interjected.

“Not too hot, just starting to cool down,” Harvey mused.  

“But not near Halloween,” Mike said.

“Hence, early October,” Donna repeated.  “And that’s plenty of time to get everything planned..”

Mike glanced at the calendar and nodded; it was January, and October was 10 months away, plenty of time to get everything planned.  “Early October it is,” he said.  “October 6? A Saturday?”

“Works for me,” Harvey replied.

“Wonderful, get me your guest list and I’ll get the ‘save the date’ notices out,” Donna said. 

“We don’t even know who we’re inviting yet, or where,” Mike said.

“Later,” Harvey said, closing Mike’s wedding related files.  “Lunchtime is over, go back to work.  Then you are taking the night off from wedding planning and having dinner with me.”

“Aww, do you miss me?” Mike teased, smiling up at Harvey.

Harvey gave a little chuckle.  “I would just like to spend time with you, talking about non-work, non-wedding things,” he said. 

“I can do that,” Mike replied, standing and giving Harvey a sweet kiss.  “No wedding talk tonight.”

Donna watched the two men with a smile as she cleared off Mike’s desk of wedding related materials.  “Harvey, you have the Kline meeting thirty minutes,” she said as she headed back to her desk with an armful of folders.  “Don’t be late.”

***

“Mike?”  Harvey set his briefcase on the table in the foyer, hung up his coat and ventured deeper into the penthouse, eyes peeled for his partner.  They were three months away from their wedding and Harvey was lucky if he saw Mike at all.  Between work and meeting with the chef and the florists and the event planners … by the time they actually saw each other it was when they were in bed, and Mike was half asleep.  “Marco!” he called.

“Polo!”  Mike’s voice floated to him from the bedroom.

“Treasure hunt, huh?” Harvey said as he made his way through the penthouse.  When he reached the bedroom, he stopped and stared.  Mike was spread out naked on the bed, stroking himself lazily.  

“How was your meeting?” Mike asked with a seductive smile.

“What meeting?” Harvey replied, his eyes never leaving the bed as he stripped down, tossing his clothes into the hamper.  

Mike gave a breathy chuckle as he watched his lover.  “Your merger meeting with Flannagan?” he murmured.

“Fine, everything went fine,” Harvey replied as he crawled onto the bed, peppering Mike’s bare skin with soft kisses and nibbles.

Mike hummed happily under Harvey’s ministrations.  “Fuck that feels good,” he groaned.  He let Harvey tease for a minute before wrapping his legs around Harvey and rolling them so Harvey was flat on his back on the bed.

“Aggressive tonight,” Harvey purred.  “I like it.”

“Thought you might,” Mike whispered, trailing a hand down Harvey’s body to slip between the older man’s thighs, smiling wide when Harvey spread his legs invitingly.  “Needy, are you?”

“Fuck, Mike,” Harvey groaned when he felt Mike’s fingers slip inside him.  “Missed this, missed you.”

Mike smiled and nibbled on Harvey’s chest, paying special attention to the older man’s nipples.  “Been very busy,” he said against Harvey’s skin.  “Fixing that.”

Harvey whimpered, he actually whimpered, and grabbed Mike’s hips, his fingers digging into his lover’s skin.  “Michael,” he gasped.

Mike gave a bright smile as he replaced his fingers with his cock and surged forward, pressing in with a hard thrust.  

“Yes,” Harvey gasped, bucking up into Mike’s thrust. 

Mike hummed, wrapping a hand around Harvey’s cock and stroking roughly in time with his thrusts.  They were both so on edge from lack of sex that it didn’t take long for either of them to come.  Harvey groaned and flopped back on the bed, panting softly.

Mike carefully slid out of Harvey and gently covered Harvey’s body with his own, his head resting on Harvey’s chest.  “Good?” he asked, lazily tracing patterns on Harvey’s bicep with his index finger.

“Very,” Harvey replied softly, carding his fingers through Mike’s hair.  “Promise me you won’t get so caught up in planning, okay?”

Mike hummed and wrapped his arms around Harvey.  “We have everything set,” he said.  “Now it’s just waiting for the RSVP’s to come in.  You do know that we have close to 300 people coming to the reception?”

Harvey sighed and nodded.  “I’ve seen the seating chart,” he said.  “At least we’re having a small wedding.”

Mike nodded too, pressing a sleepy kiss to Harvey’s chest.  “I love you, Harvey,” he whispered sleepily.

Harvey smiled and gave Mike’s hair a playful tug.  “Love you, too,” he murmured.  

***

At noon on the Saturday before their wedding, Harvey and Mike were happily relaxing together on the couch when Donna and Rachel barged in, each carrying a bag.  

“What is this?” Mike asked.

“Your bachelor and bachelorette parties,” Donna said, winking at Mike.

“Did you just refer to me as the bride in this scenario?” Mike said, getting up off the couch.

“Yes,” Rachel teased, handing Mike the bag she’d been holding.  “Go change and then we’re leaving.”

Donna passed Harvey her bag and motioned to the bedroom.  “You, too,” she said.  “We have plans.”

“But apparently not together,” Harvey muttered as he followed Mike into the bathroom to get changed.  He gave a low whistle when he saw Mike in the linen pants, bright blue button up and straw fedora.  He peered into his bag and gave a nod of approval at the khakis, white button up and dark green sweater.

“Separated for the day,” Mike mumbled as he watched Harvey change.  “Two different vibes, obviously.”  He wandered over to his partner and lovingly adjusted the collar of Harvey’s shirt.  “Have fun, and no strippers.”

“Likewise,” Harvey said, pressing a sweet kiss to Mike’s temple.

“Come on boys, daylight’s wasting!” Donna called.  

They all headed downstairs together, but Harvey and Donna left in one car and Mike and Rachel left in another.  

The car Harvey and Donna were in pulled to a stop outside Yankee Stadium.  Harvey climbed out and grinned.  “You know, Mike does enjoy baseball,” he said.

“Not as much as you, and this is your send off,” Donna said, pulling Harvey towards the entrance.  “Mike gets his own send off.”

Harvey chuckled and allowed Donna to tug him inside, and up to a private box, where Jessica and the other partners were waiting for him with cigars and Scotch.  He was further surprised when his brother emerged from behind Jessica and wrapped him in a hug.

“Paul!” Harvey exclaimed, surprised.  “Wasn’t expecting you until Friday.”

“Got an earlier flight out of Los Angeles,” Paul said with a laugh.  “Wouldn’t miss your big send off.”

Harvey chuckled and settled down on one of the couches, chatting with his brother and some of the partners as the game started.

When Mike and Rachel pulled to a stop, Mike squinted out the window.  “A men’s salon, really?” he said.  

“Oh don’t be a baby and get out,” Rachel said, pushing Mike out of the car.  “You’ll like this, I promise.”

Mike frowned, but climbed out and followed Rachel inside, where she gave Mike’s name to the receptionist.  “Oh yes, the beer rinse and scalp massage,” the girl said.

“The what?” Mike asked, looking at Rachel.

“You’ll like it,” Rachel repeated just as a one of the stylists approached.

“Mr. Ross, come with me,” the girl said with a grin.  

Mike shot a glare over his shoulder as he followed the girl to the back.  She took his hat and set it at her station before leading him back to the sinks.  “I think,” she said as she helped Mike sit down and lean back, “that we’ll go with a Corona.”  She ran her fingers through his hair and smiled.  “Definitely a Corona.”

She covered Mike’s clothes with a cape and reached under the sink into the mini fridge and pulled out a Corona.

“Wait, what are you - oh my god!” Mike said, trying not to jump as the girl poured cold beer over his hair.

“Relax,” the girl said as she began to massage Mike’s scalp.  “You’ll be amazed at how soft and shiny your hair will be when I’m done.”

Mike just gave a little hum as the stylist‘s fingers began working magic, making Mike completely relaxed.  “Won’t I smell all … beerlike after this?” he mumbled.  

The girl laughed and shook her head.  “No, we’ll give it a wash before sending you out to the world,” she said.

“M’kay,” Mike hummed.

Once the Yankees game was over, Harvey gave his brother a hug as everyone else headed home.  “Want to come back to the penthouse?  Mike would love to see you,” he said.

“I’d love to, but I’ve been told by Donna that I have to go back to my hotel,” Paul replied with a grin.  “I’ll come by tomorrow for lunch.”  He pat Harvey on the back and headed out.

“Why can’t he come back to the penthouse?” Harvey asked Donna.

“Because I have one more present for you,” Donna said.  “And it’s waiting for you at the penthouse.”

“Fine.”  Harvey swallowed the rest of his scotch and went down to the car.

“Have fun and don’t say I never give you anything,” Donna said as she closed the door behind him and sent him on his way.

When Harvey reached his penthouse, he found a massage table set up on the balcony under a white canopy.  “Mr. Specter.”  A woman motioned for Harvey to step closer.  “I am from Dyanna Body and Nail Salon Spa and Donna has arranged for you to have a gold-dipped foil facial followed by a 24-karat-gold pigment powder mask.  If you’ll just change into this we’ll get started.”  The girl handed Harvey a pair of black shorts and a robe with a smile.

“Donna’s definitely getting a raise,” Harvey said before he went to get changed.

Mike thankfully did not smell like a brewery when he and Rachel arrived at their second location.  They rode to the top floor of the Standard and were greeted with an amazing view of the city at Le Bain, one of the most exclusive bars in New York.  Rachel immediately caught the eye of some guy and left Mike alone with a large group of associates from Pearson Hardman who were gathered at the tables and waterbeds, yes waterbeds, enjoying beverages and toasting Mike’s impending nuptials.  

Mike got teased a bit about his straw fedora, but felt he was totally rocking it, and said so.

“Don’t knock the hat,” Mike said as he tossed back a shot.  “It’s a stylish hat.”

They were there until just after the sun set, when Rachel called them all cabs and sent them all home before leaving with the male model she’d met.

“You go home to Harvey,” Rachel said as she pushed Mike into the car.  “I’m going to get to know this guy better and who knows, maybe he’ll be my plus one at your reception.”

Mike gave Rachel a silly grin.  “Thanks, Rach,” he said.  “For an amazing send off.”

“Bachelorette party,” Rachel called as the car pulled away.

When Mike arrived back at the penthouse he found Harvey in some pajama pants and a t-shirt, curled up on the couch, sipping a glass of chardonnay and reading a book.

“Hi honey, I’m home,” Mike said as he set his fedora on the table in the foyer, kicked off his shoes and padded into the living room.  He crawled onto the couch, right into Harvey’s arms, tossing his book aside.

Harvey laughed and wrapped his arms around his lover.  “You smell like liquor,” he murmured, kissing Mike sweetly as he ran a hand through Mike’s hair.  “And your hair is incredibly soft.”

Mike hummed and leaned into Harvey’s touch, rubbing his cheek against Harvey’s.  “Drinks with the associates at Le Bain,” he murmured.  “Beer rinse at some salon.  Your skin is so soft and glowy.”

“Gold-dipped foil facial followed by a 24-karat-gold pigment powder mask,” Harvey murmured.  “After Scotch and cigars at Yankee Stadium.”

It took a moment for the words to sink in on both ends.

“Beer rinse?” Harvey said.

“Gold facial?” Mike asked, lifting his head up to look at his partner.

“Donna,” they said in unison, before bursting out laughing.

“She knows us so well,” Mike mumbled, resting his cheek on Harvey’s chest.  “It was fun, though.”

“It was,” Harvey agreed.  “Paul flew out early; he’s coming tomorrow for lunch.”

“Cool,” Mike murmured, his eyes drifting closed.

Harvey hummed and slipped a hand under Mike‘s shirt, tracing patterns on his lover‘s back with his fingernails.  “Can’t sleep here,” Harvey mumbled.  “We’ll wake up sore.”

“Just a few minutes.”  Mike snuggled close to Harvey, burying his nose in Harvey’s neck.  

“Few minutes,” Harvey agreed as his own eyes slipped closed.

***

At 11:30 a.m. on their wedding day, Mike and Harvey woke up to the sound of Donna barging into their bedroom.  Mike gave a groan and burrowed deeper under the covers.

“Time to get up, boys,” Donna said.  

“Wedding’s not for seven hours,” Harvey replied, his voice muffled due to the fact it was pressed to Mike’s chest.

Donna rolled her eyes.  “Time is wasting,” she said.  “Harvey, your brother is in the living room - go take him to the gym or something.”

“As soon as you turn around,” Harvey grumbled.  

“It’s not like you have anything I haven’t seen,” Donna retorted with a bright smile.

“Donna,” Harvey said warningly.

“Oh fine.”  Donna turned around and closed her eyes.

“Wait, if Harvey’s going to the gym with Paul, what am I doing?” Mike mumbled, sitting up and rubbing his eyes before crawling out of bed and tugging on a pair of shorts.

“You and I are going over some last minute details,” Donna said.

“And who’s the bride in this scenario again?” Harvey sauntered back in the room, dressed in gym shorts and a t-shirt.  He pulled Mike in for a quick kiss, sneaking in a pinch to Mike’s ass and laughing when Mike squeaked.

Mike smacked Harvey’s shoulder.  “Go, work up a sweat,” he said.  “See you later.”

Once Harvey was gone, Mike found himself dragged into the living room to help Donna go over the last minute issues with the wedding.  It really had turned into a huge affair, with a huge guest list and reporters clamoring for entrance into their soiree.  

They worked for hours, and it was well past two when Harvey and Paul showed up back in the penthouse.

“Mikey!” Paul said.  “Ready for this?  No going back after today.”

Mike laughed and gave Paul a hug.  “Like I’d wanna go back,” he said.

Harvey downed a bottle of water and watched his fiancé and brother interact.  Paul was his only family, having cut ties with their mother and of course with his father … It had been really important for Paul and Mike to get along.  He didn’t have to worry - minutes after meeting each other they had been laughing and chatting like old friends.

“All right men,” Donna said.  “It is now 2:45.  That gives you guys two hours to get showered and get over to Truman’s for a little Refresher package.”

“Where?” Mike asked.

“An upscale men’s salon over on 56th,” Harvey said.  “But what for?”

“Wash and style, scalp massage, manicures and straight-edge razor shave,” Donna said.

“Wait, I can style my own hair,” Mike said, ignoring Harvey’s amused snort.  “And shave!”

“Says the man who has perpetual five o’clock shadow,” Harvey teased, kissing Mike’s hair.  

“You want to look your best on your big day, right?” Donna said, gathering her things.  “Anyway, Rachel, Jessica, Edith and I have to all get ready.  So you boys have your fun and we’ll see you on the ferry.”

The rest of the afternoon passed pleasantly, and the men grabbed their garment bags with their tuxedos and headed over to Truman’s.  Mike protested the whole time, but secretly enjoyed the pampering.  

At 5:30 they arrived at Battery Park and met the women, who were all dressed to the nines with warm coats to ward off the oncoming chill.  They all boarded the ferry and road quietly over to Ellis Island.

“The last ferry leaves at 6:00,” Donna explained as the ferry got closer and closer to their wedding venue.  “The guests for the reception won’t start arriving until 7:30, so that’s plenty of time for everything to get set up.”

“Good,” Mike said.  “I don’t want to worry about anything tonight.”

“And you won’t have to,” Harvey murmured, pressing a little kiss to Mike’s temple.

The ferry docked at Ellis Island and everyone disembarked and headed towards where the private ceremony would be taking place.  The women all left their coats near the reception area and joined the men who were already waiting with the officiate.  

“Love is the reason we are here,” the officiate began.  “In marriage we not only say, ‘I love you today‘, but also, ‘I promise to love you for all of our tomorrows‘."

Mike tuned out, letting the officiate’s words wash over him, giving Harvey a loving smile.

“Do you, Harvey Reginald Specter -”

Mike blinked a few times and mouthed ‘Reginald’ to Harvey, who closed his eyes and nodded.

“- take Michael James Ross to be -”

“I do,” Harvey said.

Mike laughed and squeezed Harvey’s hands.  “You couldn’t let him finish?” he teased.

Harvey shrugged and smiled.  “Already know I want you in my life forever, Mike,” he said.

The officiate smiled and repeated the same vows for Mike, who waited for the officiate to finish before responding.   “I do.”

They both turned to Paul, who handed over the two matching rings, platinum bands with a raised rope design on them.

“Bound together, huh?” Mike teased as they exchanged rings.

“Forever,” Harvey whispered.

“I now pronounce you spouses for life,” the officiate said.  “You may now seal your vows with a kiss.”

Harvey pulled Mike close, dipped him, and gave him a passionate kiss, ignoring the laughter from their guests.

“All right, all right, enough with the bride shit,” Mike said once Harvey released him.  He glanced over and could see boat after boat ferrying their guests over for the reception.  “Ugh, can we just run away now?”

“No,” Donna said.  “They’re all here to wish you well.”

“And get in the papers,” Paul added with a wink. 

“Of course,” Rachel said.  “Better go face everyone now … maybe you guys can sneak out later.”

“We can always hope,” Mike said, slipping his hand into Harvey’s.  

The small group posed for pictures with the New York skyline in the background, before heading into the reception, which was already in full swing.  They entered to a round of applause and headed straight for their table where dinner was already being served.

The evening passed in a blur.  First food, toasts and handshakes and hugs from what seemed like all their guests.  Then they danced their first dance to what Mike thought was the perfect song.

‘There’s just a little more that I need/I want to share all/the air that you breathe’

After some dancing, they went over to cut the cake, a four tier chocolate cake with chocolate frosting dotted with white polka dots.  As everyone was eating, Paul approached Mike and Harvey with a grin.

“Make your escape now,” he said.  “There’s a ferry waiting to take you back, and a car there to drive you home.”

“You are the best brother,” Harvey replied, wrapping his brother in a hug.

“I know.”  Paul clapped Harvey on the back and gave him and Mike a shove.  “Everyone will understand.  Now go.”

Harvey and Mike laughed and headed for the waiting ferry, riding it back to shore wrapped in each other’s arms, watching the city grow closer and closer.

After a quiet car ride home, filled with comforting touches and soft kisses, the couple made their way to the penthouse and then into the bedroom, shedding clothes along the way.  Harvey turned down the bed and crawled under the covers, waiting for Mike.

“We’re married,” Mike whispered as he slipped under the sheets and curled up in Harvey’s embrace.

“We are,” Harvey agreed, taking Mike’s left hand in his.  “You changed my life the night you walked into that bar to meet Jenny.”

“You changed my life too,” Mike murmured.  “Took me from a bartender who was going nowhere to an attorney on the partner track at the best law firm in the city.  And, as corny as this sounds, you showed me true friendship and … true love.”

Harvey gave a little snort and pulled Mike closer.  “You threw me for a loop and I couldn’t be happier.”  He pressed a kiss to Mike’s hair and sighed softly.  “Sleep, Mike.”  They had two weeks off and a whirlwind honeymoon abroad planned, with a flight the next day.

“Yes, sir,” Mike teased sleepily, clinging to his husband’s hand as he drifted off to sleep.

Harvey watched Mike sleep for a while, smiling at the look of peace on his partner‘s face.  He used to think that he’d never be completely happy, until Mike had barreled into his life.  Now he couldn’t imagine his life without Mike in it.

Life was, finally, perfect.

**Author's Note:**

> I did a bit of research for all this, trying to find inspiration, the audio and visuals that I heard and saw when I wrote this. I thought I'd share the visuals and the audio with you guys :D
> 
> The Private Luxury Beach Cottage where Mike and Harvey vacation: http://luxurybeachfrontgetaway.com/Beach_Cottage_Photo_s.php 
> 
> Extended Puppy Pose: http://www.yogajournal.com/media/originals/7256-hp_217_PuppyPose_248.jpg 
> 
> Alex Sipiagin Jazz Quintent song ‘One for Mike’: http://youtu.be/XQK8fdgMghY
> 
> Mike's engagement ring: http://acf1.gemvara.net/sku/p/xl/13dln.jpg 
> 
> Poppies and Posies (the company Mike uses for the wedding): http://poppiesandposies.com/ 
> 
> If you want to see where I got the idea for the beer rinse for Mike, the 24-karat-gold mask for Harvey, or the Refresher package on the day of the wedding, check out this Manscaping Primer: http://nymag.com/weddings/grooms/2012/summer/manscaping/ 
> 
> Le Bain, club on top of the Standard where Mike’s send off party takes place: http://gothamist.com/upload/2012/05/201205_lebain.jpeg?883 
> 
> The Wedding Venue, Ellis Island: http://nymag.com/weddings/reception/2012/summer/indoor-outdoor-reception-venues/index2.html 
> 
> The Wedding rings: http://www.ethanlord.com/images/Product/medium/1143.jpg 
> 
> The Wedding Cake: http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_3x7uB30Joac/TGzAPo5EeNI/AAAAAAAAANg/jfceJHl5SAs/s1600/choc-pearls-wedding-cake.jpg 
> 
> Mike and Harvey’s first dance - ‘A Love that Will Last’ Renee Olstead: http://youtu.be/oe4VYEKlB3o


End file.
